Meghalaya RTI activist murdered

GUWAHATI, MARCH 20: A Meghalaya youth leader and Right to Information activist was killed in a coal belt in the hill State’s East Jaintia Hills district on Tuesday morning.
Police said the body of Poipynhun Majaw, the president of Jaintia Youth Federation (JYF), was found on Rymbai Road near Khliehriat, the headquarters of East Jaintia Hills district bordering Bangladesh and a prime mining area in the State.
“We found wounds on his head probably caused by a heavy iron object. This looks like a case of murder, but we are waiting for the post mortem report to find the culprits and uncover the motive behind the murder,” Nazarius Lamare, the district’s Superintendent of Police told The Hindu.
“Mr. Majaw lived in Jowai (22 km from Khliehriat) and had come to Khliehriat yesterday (Monday). He was last seen at the deputy commissioner’s office about 3 pm,” Lamare said.
A.R. Mawthoh, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Eastern Range), said a wrench was found near Majaw’s body and that the police were hunting for more clues.
Rights activists say they suspect the 38-year-old Mr. Majaw could have paid the price for exposing a nexus between heads of the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) and cement companies that were allegedly allowed to mine limestone without permission. (Agencies)